


Shiver

by tatertotarmy



Category: Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons Series (Video Games), 牧場物語つながる新天地 | Story of Seasons (Video Game 2014)
Genre: F/M, Fall BokuMono Exchange 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:21:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27224173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatertotarmy/pseuds/tatertotarmy
Summary: Confessing was definitely a mistake. If Annie couldn’t even sit still beside Klaus...then how would she get through a whole date?--Written for the Fall BokuMono Exchange in 2020.
Relationships: Farmer/Klaus (Story of Seasons)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6
Collections: Bokumono Exchanges





	Shiver

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheBeckster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBeckster/gifts).



Annie really ought to throw out the mirror. 

For the entire morning, it was nothing but a distraction. She checked it after breakfast, after doing the morning farmwork, after petting her dog, and after _each_ and _every_ little step she took around the house. All to check her hair (what if it went out of place; did she need to brush it again?), her face (oh no, were those dark circles under her eyes?), her clothes (was this appropriate? Was her dress sitting right?), and Annie was just about fed up with it. 

She was a farmer, after all! She shouldn’t get so bent-up about how she looked. It was just so _distracting_ and even now, as she waited in her home, she was stuck in front of the mirror checking herself over and over again. A green dress was nice for autumn, right? It didn’t seem too out of place, right? It was a bit thin, but it would be okay for a day out at least. It wasn’t _that_ cold yet, right?

By the Harvest Goddess, she was a mess. An overthinking, distracted mess of a farmer. Why, if Elise saw her now…

There was a knock at the front door. Annie looked up, her heart accelerating in tempo, and then back to the mirror, giving herself one last glance. One more look wouldn’t hurt, right? 

_Come on, Annie, you can’t keep the man waiting._

She swallowed, tearing her eyes away and taking quick steps over to the front door. An anxious hand combed through her hair (keeping it down was okay, right?) as another turned the doorknob to open it up to her guest. 

Klaus. Local perfumist...and, after a very recent turn of events, her boyfriend. 

“Klaus, hello!” Annie smiled, trying to ignore the happy flutter of her heart as she looked him up and down. He was formally dressed as always, and looking just as handsome as any other day, really…

Oh, hopefully he wouldn’t notice her blushing. 

“Good morning, Annie,” Klaus greeted, a calm smile on his face, “I hope you weren’t waiting too long. Are you ready to go?”

“Oh no, I wasn’t waiting long at all!” Honestly, she had no idea how long she waited; she was too focused on fixing herself up. “Yes, I’m ready! Let’s go!” 

She stepped outside, locking the door behind her. Once she turned to face him, she saw Klaus simply smiling, offering his arm for her. Annie stared for a moment, looking between his face and the offered arm. When it clicked in her head, she felt her cheeks heat up and her heart skip a beat. 

_Oh, right._

Quickly, she looped her arm through his, placing her hand on her arm and trying to pretend that nothing happened in the first place. To his credit, Klaus only answered with a light chuckle before leading the way to town, their arms linked together.

All of this, from a date to a light romance, would have been unthinkable a week ago. Annie had fallen for the local perfumist soon after she moved to Oak Tree Town. It began as a light crush, something she thought would blow over within a week or so, but soon blossomed into something more with every conversation they shared. He was just so charming, wise, and a bit mysterious (his looks were definitely quite the bonus as well). It was hard _not_ to fall further for him. 

Of course, Annie tried to stuff the feelings down. After all, he always seemed to have a special bond with Iris. And Annie wasn’t sure if he would consider dating someone on the younger side (she wasn’t _young_...but he always seemed to be so dramatic with his age). Plus, she didn’t want to ruin the friendship they had. Dating always had that risk of breaking up, and with it came the resulting awkward stages. If they dated and things didn’t work out...she didn’t want to lose him to the awkwardness. Especially if things turned really sour. 

But it became increasingly clear she couldn’t hold in her feelings. She just kept getting so distracted and her heart beat so much around him she couldn’t take it. So, just after the turn of autumn, Annie decided to play a gamble. She would confess her feelings...and when Klaus inevitably rejected her, she could bury them completely and forget she ever had feelings in the first place!

Well, she succeeded in step one. But step two didn’t go quite as planned. 

Since, apparently, Klaus felt the same for her. And even offered to take her to the annual Concert as their first date.

Any moment now, Annie was expecting to wake up in her bed, realizing that this was all just an abnormally detailed dream. But the breeze through her hair was real. The rustling of fallen leaves rang clearly in her ears. And the man beside her was warm and very present, nothing like any dream could have provided. 

If this was a dream...she didn’t want to wake up. Not just yet, at least. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t volunteer for the Concert this year,” Klaus spoke, breaking Annie from her thoughts, “You’re always one to volunteer for every festival, aren’t you?”

“I guess so…” Annie replied, letting out a meek chuckle, “But I’ve never been great at musical stuff.”

“Oh?”

“Why? Do I seem like a musical genius?”

“No, but appearances can be deceiving. Part of me wondered whether you’d reveal a hidden talent of yours.”

“Well, what you see is what you get from me, so…” Annie laughed a bit awkwardly, and internally kicked herself. Well wasn’t that the most abrupt thing to respond with. 

Great. She was overthinking a conversation. Talking wasn’t nearly this hard when they were just friends. Did dating a man really change so much? Sure, there were obvious changes with the physical aspect (she hoped he didn’t notice her hand trembling), but talking shouldn’t be that different, right?

“Well I wouldn’t say that…” Klaus spoke, “After all...you never seemed interested in a man like me.”

“You’re not going to get into your age again, right?”

“I’ll restrain myself.” Klaus let out a light chuckle. “But I believed you’d be more interested in one of the other farmers in town.”

“What, like Fritz?”

“Maybe.”

It was Annie’s turn to laugh. “Of course not! He’s always just been a friend to me. You’re...well…” Very attractive, with a sense of mystery that lingered all around. Like mist, always refreshing and beautiful, but never within her grasp. There was just something about him that seemed more than what he presented…

“Well, what?” Klaus asked.

Oh, that was too embarrassing to say. Annie was not about to admit that she liked him for being tall, handsome, and mysterious. That was not what she needed on a first date, especially not before they were even there.

“It’s nothing.”

If Klaus had anything to say after that, or any words to prod at the subject with, they were interrupted by the swell of voices ahead. They could see the stage set-up at this point, with a piano and two chairs set neatly in the center. In front of the stage were several rows of chairs, most of them occupied by the residents who lived closer to the square. 

“Seems we’ve made it just in time,” Klaus spoke, looking down at Annie to give a polite smile, “Are you sure you won’t give us a surprise performance?”

“I’m sure!” Annie flushed red, taking quick steps ahead and pulling him along. 

It didn’t take them long to find two seats and settle in. And as Annie looked up at the stage - where Elise was already setting up to get ready - she couldn’t help but think about just how _close_ Klaus was. 

Oh, she was overthinking again! The seats were always arranged this way at these kinds of festivals. Someone was always a bit close. But just because it was Klaus, her _new boyfriend_ , she could barely concentrate. She could feel the warmth from beside her, and feel his gaze whenever he happened to look her way. 

Confessing was definitely a mistake. If she couldn’t even sit still beside him...then how would she get through a whole date? 

As the musicians began to gather, signaling the beginning of the concert, Klaus leaned over towards her, his voice a soft whisper, “Are you feeling cold?”

“H-Huh?” Annie blushed, her eyes snapping right towards him, “Of course not…”

“You seem a bit stiff…” Klaus spoke, looking her up and down, “And a bit flushed…”

Oh, she was flushed alright. But not from any breeze around here.

“Well...erm…”

Klaus smiled, gently chuckling as he slid his jacket off, reaching over to drape it over Annie’s shoulders, “There, that should at least help.”

Annie dragged her gaze to the stage, stiffly pulling the jacket closer to her. Oh no...it _smelled_ like him. It was a strange mixture, from floral to musky all at once, lingering from the latest perfume work, she assumed. But it was very nice...very him…

And it did not calm her down for a single second.

For the remainder of the concert, Annie sat with her heart drowning out the music around her, conscious of every little movement Klaus made. Whenever he shifted oh-so-slightly closer to her. When he held her hand during the later parts of a song. Every little shift and adjustment he made, she felt with every inch of her being. She had thought that confessing would alleviate these feelings and make them more bearable, but this was a thousand times worse. 

Was it because she knew he felt the same? Or was there no hope for her? 

Eventually, the concert came to a close, and as Klaus and Annie walked back towards the farm, she felt like she was floating. Honestly, Annie had barely a recollection of what she just listened to, and struggled to even keep up with Klaus’ conversation afterwards. The entire situation just made her feel...inadequate, in a way. 

Annie was the one who confessed first, and yet during this entire date she had done nothing but worry and get flustered over the smallest things. Even Klaus’ jacket around her was enough to drive her completely off her train of thought. And now...she could barely keep up with a conversation. Could he tell? Would he re-think this whole relationship? It was early enough that he could break it off pretty unscathed, and Annie wouldn’t blame him. After all, she knew that it would probably end badly if she tried. 

“And here we are.”

“Huh?” Annie blinked, looking up to realize that they were already standing on the farm, not too far from her front door. Wait...had they really gone this far already? Annie had been so invested in her thoughts that she barely even noticed. 

That just made her feel even worse.

“I hope you enjoyed yourself, Annie,” Klaus spoke, a smile on his face as he reached for her hand.

“I did...well…” Annie frowned, taking a step back before Klaus could take her hand, “But...did you enjoy yourself? I realize I haven’t exactly been the best date...and I’m sorry for that…” After all, he had to have noticed. 

“Hm?” Klaus blinked, thinking a bit, “Ah, you did seem a bit distracted…”

“I was,” Annie continued, “I’m just...very new at this sort of thing. I was overthinking most of the time…I’m sorry.” She looked down, feeling nervous. After all, he must think the worst of her now. She had just worried through an entire date! An entire _first_ date! 

“No need to apologize,” Klaus spoke, “After all...I found it quite cute.”

_Huh?_

Annie looked up at him, blinking, “What do you mean…?”

“I meant that it was cute, the way you acted.” Klaus was smiling, looking right down at her in a way that made her heart race. “So there’s no need to apologize.”

He...noticed. But instead of thinking anything bad, he just thought it was cute?

Annie’s cheeks flared bright red, “Well...I...erm...uh…” She couldn’t even form a complete sentence. She couldn’t believe this. Not only did he figure it out...he _liked_ it? That was just...oh no, her heart was racing again.

His chuckle filled the air, and he took a step forward and took her hand. Slowly, he raised her hand up to press a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

“I do look forward to seeing it next time. For now...have a good evening, Annie.”

With that, Klaus smiled and walked away back towards town, leaving her a blushing mess in front of the farm house. She looked down to herself, and the jacket still draped over her shoulders. 

If she could barely handle herself on a date as it is, just how would she be able to function knowing Klaus enjoyed every second of it?

Annie sighed, trying to calm her rapid heart and crimson cheeks.

May the Harvest Goddess have mercy on her.


End file.
